ID :
11444
Fri, 07/04/2008 - 22:16
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/11444
The shortlink copeid
VP : NO FUEL OIL PRICE HIKE DESPITE LATEST GLOBAL SURGE
Jakarta, July 4 (ANTARA) - Vice President Jusuf Kalla gave the assurance on Friday that the government will not raise domestic fuel oil prices although global crude prices are hovering above US$143 per barrel.
"Believe me there will be no fuel oil price hike. The President himself has also given such assurance," he said upon his arrival at the Halim Perdanakusuma military airport in Jakarta from a visit to West Nusa Tenggara province.
The global crude price spiral was felt by people all over the world but the Indonesian people's pain was not as severe as other nations', he said.
"We must weather it just as other countries do. But our pain is not as painful as other nations'. We must thank God that we still produce oil although our oil production falls short of consumption," he said.
Now that fuel oil prices were not to be raised, oil subsidy would increase accordingly. Therefore, energy retrenchment program is a must, he said.
"Starting August energy retrenchment must be compulsory rather than a call. If fuel oil prices are not to be raised, oil subsidy will increase," he said.
To scale down oil subsidy, the government had two options, namely energy retrenchment and oil-to-gas conversion, he said.
Asked to comment on the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas)'s idea of raising fuel oil prices once every three months, he said this was only a discourse, not a government policy.
"Believe me there will be no fuel oil price hike. The President himself has also given such assurance," he said upon his arrival at the Halim Perdanakusuma military airport in Jakarta from a visit to West Nusa Tenggara province.
The global crude price spiral was felt by people all over the world but the Indonesian people's pain was not as severe as other nations', he said.
"We must weather it just as other countries do. But our pain is not as painful as other nations'. We must thank God that we still produce oil although our oil production falls short of consumption," he said.
Now that fuel oil prices were not to be raised, oil subsidy would increase accordingly. Therefore, energy retrenchment program is a must, he said.
"Starting August energy retrenchment must be compulsory rather than a call. If fuel oil prices are not to be raised, oil subsidy will increase," he said.
To scale down oil subsidy, the government had two options, namely energy retrenchment and oil-to-gas conversion, he said.
Asked to comment on the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas)'s idea of raising fuel oil prices once every three months, he said this was only a discourse, not a government policy.
